Mar 20th 2008, 09:42

Seamen Can Obtain Help In Case Of Injury Or Disability

Receive compensation for work-related injuries

Are you a man of the sea? Accidents are bound to happen in the wide blue surface.  Odds are you’ve got your share of scars, which greatly affects your work performance.  In response to the inherent dangers seamen face, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act was introduced.

This Act gives payments and medical care to sea, harbor, and maritime workers who were injured during the course of their jobs, resulting to disability.  It also offers benefits to dependents if the injury causes the employee’s death.  

Employees may choose their own physician for medical care as long as their choice is authorized by the Department of Labor (DOL).  All medical services to treat the injury will be applied.  Compensation depends on what disability degree you attained.  Lighter injuries will result to lower payment and higher if otherwise.  Disability compensations are paid every two weeks.

Death benefits include funeral expenses that amount up to $3,000.  If the deceased worker is married, the widow or widower will get 50% of the average weekly wage of the employee for life or until remarriage.  Additional compensation will be given if there are children.  If children are the sole survivors, the same amount of 50% of the employee’s weekly wage average will be given.  Compensation will stop if the child reaches the age of 18, but may be extended until the age of 23 if the beneficiary is still a student.  Other dependents are eligible to receive compensation as well.

Eligible beneficiaries are:

• Employers who employ workers for maritime occupation on U.S. waters that are either part-time or full-time
• Employees
  1. Maritime workers including a longshoreman, harbor workers, ship-repairmen, ship-builders, and ship-breakers
  2. Federal government contractors outside the U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii
  3. Private industry workers conducting operations in the Outer Continental Shelf
  4. Civilians that do post exchange and similar work in the Armed Forces

To gain more insight on this program, visit www.dol.gov/esa/owcp/dlhwc/LS-560pam.htm or call the toll-free number at 1-866-4-USA-DOL or 1-877-889-5627 (TTY).

 

 

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